HomeMy WebLinkAbout11/07/2000 Adjourned Meeting • 495
CITY OF YAKIMA, WASHINGTON
ADJOURNED MEETING OF THE CITY COUNCIL
NOVEMBER 7, 2000 - 7:30 A.M.
POLICE STATION /LEGAL CENTER
Present: Mayor Mary Place, presiding; Council Members Clarence Barnett, Henry
Beauchamp, Lynn Buchanan, Larry Mattson, John Puccinelli and Bernard
Sims
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Staff: Dick Zais, City Manager; Glenn Rice, Assistant City Manager; Rita Anson,
Director of Finance and Budget; Chris Waarvick, Director of Public Works;
Doug Mayo, Wastewater Manager; Scott Stockton, Assistant Wastewater
. Manager; Pete Hobbs, Environmental Analyst; and Karen Roberts, City
Clerk
Also: Tony Krutsch and John Koch, consultants from HDR Engineering, Inc.
REPORT ON MANDATED WASTEWATER FACILITIES PLAN
Mayor Place called the meeting to order at 7:30 a.m.
• Doug Mayo Presents Wastewater Facilities Plan to Council
Doug Mayo presented the mandated draft 2000 Wastewater Facilities Plan consisting
of two four -inch binders to the Council.
The Plan was developed to assess the mandated regulatory, safety, and replacement
needs to meet the growth of the Yakima region for the next twenty years
• The Plan is required in order to be eligible for state and federal funding
• The Plan was segregated into three segments of planning years; 0 -6, 7 -12,
and 13 -20.
• Over 80% of the total six -year program is mandated to be done
• Discussion about convenants to connect to the sewer when available
A discussion ensued regarding the enforcement responsibility of covenants made by
new developments within the County to connect to the sewer system when the
extension of sewer lines made the connection possible. Council Member Buchanan
commented that as long as the septic tank and drainfield are functioning, the
homeowner is not required to connect to the sewer. Chris Waarvick advised that these
covenants, including the connection - when - available requirement, were the result of
discussions between the Department of Ecology and the County to permit septic tanks
in those areas not yet served by the sewer system. He suggested that if the covenants
are not working to ensure connection to the sewer system, perhaps the Department of
Ecology should review the regulatory order that the Health Department is working
under.
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NOVEMBER 7, 2000 — ADJOURNED MEETING
WASTEWATER FACILITIES PLAN
• Tony Krutsch summarizes the Plan
Tony Krutsch said they are here to present the Plan and to receive Council's
comments.
• The plan is set up under two categories: mandated and growth - related
• The mandated improvements are to comply with Federal regulations, the Clean
Water Act, state law, and the City's four -party agreement, plus the plant has to
remain operational
• The City has to provide for growth in the urban area boundary and be able to
provide sewer service to that area
• Projected $12.2 million worth of improvements to the treatment facility mandated in
the first six years of the Plan
• Projected $7.5 million to extend new interceptor and trunk sewers
• Projected $3.8 is growth related
• Table 1 -12 on page 24 is a chart listing the projected six -year improvements
Mr. Krutsch provided additional information about the projects to improve the facility
and sewer service. In the future, two lagoons may be abandoned in favor of using a
centrifuge. One lagoon may be kept for the emergency dumping of a sour digester. The
biosolids building is included in the 7 -13 year plan to go to complete containment. A
discussion regarding the biosolids disposal program ensued, as well as the acceptance
of industrial septage. Rick Frye, Department of Ecology (DOE), reported that if the City
accepts septage, then DOE could regulate it.
• Questions asked by Council
Mayor Place asked about the recommendation to redefine domestic wastewater
strength. Mr. Mayo said that the recommendation is to lower the threshold for strong
waste. If that happens, there are businesses that are discharging waste between the
200 and 260 level that will be affected if the threshold is lowered below the current 300
ppm for BOD. The businesses will pay more for the strong waste discharged into the
sewer system.
City Manager Zais said a cost of service study would be prepared focusing on the
improvements in the first six years. It will be a multi- faceted approach to deal with
funding. It is important to note that most of these mandated rules have been around
for decades and would not be covered under the new mandate law for funding. We will
look for grants and loans, after that, utility rates for all our customers will have to bear
the responsibility to pay for the debts incurred for these improvements. Council
members noted that the public is going to have to be informed about these mandated
improvements and the impact to their rates.
Mayor Place stated there are some policy issues in the document that should be more
clearly identified for Council, as well as what staff is recommending, before we get into
the cost of service study. Mr. Mayo acknowledged there are policy issues in the
document about staffing levels and the level of service provided to the citizens. Chris
Waarvick mentioned another policy issue is whether Council will want to continue to
fund the storm water compliance issues through the Street and Wastewater budgets,
or as a separate utility (Enterprise) fund.
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497
NOVEMBER 7, 2000 — ADJOURNED MEETING
WASTEWATER FACILITIES PLAN
Council Member•Barnett requested staff to clarify what happened at a public meeting
related to storm water management. He asked staff to check the record to verify what
was actually voted on since plan 3a became 4a and 3a was a lot different than 4a.
Mr. Waarvick agreed to do that. Mr' Barnett stated he thought the ten cities were given
the responsibility of writing the Eastern Washington Manual and the policy committee
was supposed to come up with regulations for Eastern Washington. If it's already
. done, let's abolish that group. Mr. Krutsch responded that if the Eastern Washington
Committee is re- writing this manual, over 80% is already written because we can't
change state law, therefore, it could not be that greatly different from the Western
Washington manual with the big exception of how dry wells are addressed.
Council Member Mattson suggested that the City (Doug or Chris) write a letter to the
County Commissioners to clarify when the County will require a physical connection to
the sewer system. Mr. Rice said if the City wants the County to enforce connections,
then don't forget there are houses in the city limits in the same circumstances.
Mr. Waarvick commented that DOE removed the septic tank authority from the Health
District and took it upon themselves, with the caveat that when sewer is available the
citizen would hook up. If it will not happen, he thinks DOE should respond to the City
first. Doug Mayo interjected that the City code used to have a provision to charge city
residents a stand -by rate if the line was available and they did not connect; however,
we have never billed this.
• Directions given by the Council
City Manager Zais said staff would invite further comments and questions from the
Council and incorporate, and respond to, those questions to finalize this document.
The next step is to prepare for a public hearing and public outreach and determine how
far to take that out to neighborhood groups since we don't have the cost of service
study. Mayor Place said we need some information about what DOE is currently doing
and what the Health Department, County and City are doing with regard to sewer
connections. Council Puccinelli suggested that the public be educated about not using
garbage disposals by sending information with their utility bill. Council Member Sims
requested additional information about the septic tank situation.
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting adjourned at 9:15 a.m.
READ AND CERTIFIED ACCURATE BYE/ _ , 4 /.� 16 o
-- COUX IL MEMBER DA
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CO CIL MEM R DATE
ATTEST:
CITY CLERK ARY PLACE, MAYOR
Minutes prepared by Karen Roberts. An audio tape of this meeting is available in the City Clerk's Office
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